A large blaze on Friday afternoon shut the only crude distillation unit at BP Plc's 225,000 barrel per day (bpd) Cherry Point refinery, the largest in Washington state, according to sources familiar with refinery operations. BP spokesman Scott Dean declined to discuss the status of specific units following the blaze, but did say the refinery in Ferndale, Washington, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Seattle, continued to operate on Friday night.
Initial local media reports said the fire was in a storage unit at the refinery, but local television showed flames rising several stories near a large production unit, causing plumes of heavy black smoke that could be seen for miles. BP has accounted for all workers, Dean said. One worker was taken to a local hospital for observation following a minor injury.
West Coast refined products traders said a 7.5-cent jump in wholesale gasoline prices in the Los Angeles market on Friday afternoon was due to the shutdown of the crude distillation unit, which does the initial refining of crude oil coming into the refinery and provides feedstock for all other units. March-delivery California gasoline sold in Los Angeles market at 22 cents a gallon over the price for April NYMEX RBOB gasoline.
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